April 15, 1998
Opinion
3
To Bruce Thomas and Tribal Council,
As a parent of a Faulconer Grade School student
and an employee of Spirit Mountain Casino, I
would like to take this time to personally "thank
you" and everyone involved in the generous do
nation you presented to the school in the aftermath
of the devastating fire that destroyed the school
we were all so proud of.
I am very "proud" to be employed by and asso
ciated with such a warm, caring, and giving estab-.
lishment. Spirit Mountain Casino never hesitates
to give so freely of donations for so many differ
ent purposes that are so beneficial to all who re
ceive them. Until it "hits home" and we really
need help, we never fully recognize or realize just
how important you are to the surrounding com
munities and how dedicated you are to providing
for those communities, whether it be in good times
or bad!
I know I speak for parents of the children af
fected by this devastation and I would like to con
vey our deepest gratitude to you from all of us who
are involved at Faulconer Grade School.
Thanks so much,
Sharon Hall
SMC Employee Badge 2817
Letter to the Editor,
I would like to thank the Tribal Council, Bryan
Langley and the Housing Department staff for the
home I now own. I have been able to purchase a 4
bedroom home in Willamina with all this room
what will my sons do! It is such a tremendous
strain on my budget as a single parent to save the
money needed to purchase a home. It would not
have been possible without the down payment as
sistance grant. I am thankful to the Council for
the wonderful programs they so generously pro
vide for us ALL. Once again thank you all!!
Valorie Sheker, Roll 2236
Gary Guzman, Roll 2214
Eric Sabin, Roll 3607
Anthony Sabin, Roll 3606
To the Editor:
I read every issue of Smoke Signals and am at
times dismayed with the dissatisfaction of many
who feel members are not being treated equally
and fairly.
RE: Saddle Drive, Bend, Oregon Feb. 15, 1998
"Members are not happy with your decisions as
Tribal Council."
This is truly a blanket statement. I do not take it
lightly when my unsolicited opinion is used in this
manner.
I for one feel that our Council Members are work
ing in our best interests within the constraints of
what is legally and ethically possible.
Tribal gaming today is a political football passed
from one reining administration to the next. If we
think we can count on revenues from these earn
ings forever or from one year to the next, we are
certainly burying our heads in the sand.
It's necessary to understand that to insure any
kind of financial future for all members we must
diversify our economic base into areas of high eco
nomic and population growth. If we blindly con
tinue to only count on timber and gaming revenues
to support tribal programs we are unrealistically
placing faith into sources of income that at best
will not always be there for us. Granted, timber is
a renewable resource, but if gaming is lost, more
likely than not we will never get it back. If this
should happen we certainly will not see the ben
efits we are currently receiving.
I believe it's human nature to want more and to
better our station in life, but whatever happened to
the idea of working for it and not just expecting a
handout? We should take stock of what benefits
are available to us at no cost. I'm sure many of us
will be amazed. ; We are certainly receiving more
today than five years ago, and yes, less today than
we will be receiving in the next five years. We
should be thankful for what we are receiving, not
whining about what we are not.
I urge each member to attend Council meetings,
if only to see how "they" are conducting our busi
ness and look at the limitations and constraints the
Council faces. I feel we are fortunate to have
Council members with foresight enough to under
stand that building a strong foundation comes first
and the courage to take a stand against the adver
sity of the ever growing "ME NOW" attitude that
is voicing unfounded accusations.
I feel that for one to have an opinion, one must
first be informed. All opinions are welcome at
Council meetings, attend and voice yours.
I live out of state, but not for one minute do I feel
I'm oaf, in no man's land without the support from
my tribe. I am exceptionally fortunate to be re
ceiving all the benefits which are available to me.
J. Abbott
Roll 66
Letter to the Editor:
Month after month, the General Council meet
ing is consumed with complaints. Complaints about
Spirit Mountain complaints about tribal pro
grams. I for one am tired of it! I think the Tribe has
made great strides. I am thankful to the leadership
both at the tribal level and Spirit Mountain. Just
once I would like to go to a General Council meet
ing and hear from people who are happy with their
tribe.
For instance, my medical insurance is paid. I
get a member benefit check every year. There's a
new clinic. There's going to be a beautiful addi
tion of a hotel. As for a job, I keep checking with
Spirit Mountain for openings and they stay in touch
with me. (To Camille Mercier, who was publicly
chastised at the April 5 General Council meeting, I
think you do a great job! You and Sarah Harvey,
my daughter, work very hard for the people. That
fact does not go unnoticed by many of the tribal
members.)
What does this letter really mean? Are there
positive tribal members out there? Are there other
tribal people who feel like I do? People who know
we have a long way to go, but also know we have
come a long way? Come to a General Council
meeting and say so. Write a letter to Smoke Sig
nals and say so. I'm going to say it! Thank you
Tribal Council and thank you Spirit Mountain! I
really appreciate everything you are doing!
Sincerely,
Sanda (Langley) Henny
Tribal Enrollment 409
Dear Tribal Members;
Before I say anything else, I would like to con
gratulate the people appointed to the Election Board.
I hope the election this year goes well. I also want
to personally thank everyone for the support we
received last year. Many people called to let us
know that our efforts to solve the problems were
appreciated.
I am hurt by the Council's decision not to reap
point me to the Board, but I will not allow their
actions to turn me into a bitter, resentful person. I
live my life by four traditional principles: Com
passion, Wisdom, Truth and Respect. I will not
sacrifice these principles for anyone or anything.
There are a lot of tribal members out there that
would have believed inaccurate information and
outright lies if I had not had the opportunity to speak
with them. I am glad that I had the chance to in
form people of what was really happening rather
than see people act on and believe all the ugly ru
mors that were being spread. I am also glad that I
was here and took the time to listen - even if that
was all I could do - when tribal members called
with concerns or to ask questions.
Lastly, to those of you who asked me to fight
back - I thank you for showing me that people
really do care. I want the People to know that I
tried to do my best to help solve the problems last
year. I told the truth and in return have been treated
with disrespect.
For your support, for your kindness, for your
compassion - I am grateful. You will be in my
prayers always.
Sincerely,
Dakota Rae Sangretta-Whitecloud
Roll 1587
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